Relishing Every. Single. Moment.

Archive for "Shopping"

I’ve been wanting the Stately Satchel (Kaleidoscope) for a long, long time and I finally pulled the trigger a few weeks ago. I just couldn’t get myself to spend the money on it because I’m too practical. We try not to by things just because we “want” them. There has to be a justifiable “need” for it. Anyway, a few months ago, Brian said he wanted my backpack. That created my need new work bag and so I was finally able to justify the purchase.

Here are some pictures of the “unboxing” when my new bag arrived last month.

I thought the note from the designer was a nice touch!

The bag is the perfect size for my (body) frame and my laptop. Laptop bags can sometimes be a tad oversized and overwhelming. This one looks more like slightly bigger purse/tote.

I really love the sleek design.

It also came with a storage bag, which is nice and will protect it when I’m not using it. For now, it’s my everyday work bag.

Here’s how it looks in natural light with all my stuff in it.

I’m so in-love with this bag. I’m super happy I got it. Actually, I’ve been super happy with everything I have ever purchased from Betabrand. Here are some of the things I’ve gotten in the past:

Dress Yoga Pants (I have both the straight-leg and the leggings styles in various colors/prints)

Round-Trip Dress (I have this color and the Black and White one, which I think was the very first color they offered it in)

All-Day Coat (I two of these awesome coats, one in Marsala and one in Gray)

I’m a huge fan of Betabrand and highly recommend their products. If you want to check out their products, follow this link to save $15 on your first purchase of $75 or more. Happy shopping!

This is pretty much how our year began. Right off the bat, I had to spend almost $800 on new tires for Alex. The dealership had recommended new tires several times. I’d just been putting it off and putting it off since I don’t really drive my car that frequently (since I’m in Kansas City with one of our fleet vehicles from work most of the time). We finally pulled the trigger but I felt that we did it the smart way by getting an alternate bid.

The dealership wanted almost $1200 for the same tires that we were quoted less than $800 for by Discount Tire Store in Derby. They came highly recommended by a couple of coworkers.

The funny thing is that we are so conscientious about making sure that our credit cards are paid off at the end of the year so we start off with a zero balance on January 1. We don’t generally carry a balance from month to month but we have this crazy superstition that whatever you’re doing on January 1 sets the tone for the whole year so we never want to the start the year off with a crazy high credit card balance. On December 31 we made payments on both cards that we generally use for expenses just to be sure we started the year off on the right foot but then we turned right around and spent $800 on tires that first week. Ironic.

Alex wasn’t the only one who got new kicks that week though. My new sneakers arrived that same week. Gotta love Amazon Prime! They are Reebok Hayasu training shoes and are super popular with Zumba enthusiasts. I’d been seeing fellow Zumba instructors and Zumba-goers rave about them on Facebook for months (maybe even over a year) so I finally decided to give them a try.

Unlike Alex’ new tires, my shoes were FREE! I had banked enough points on my Amazon account that I was able get these new shoes without spending a penny. I just love Amazon. The more you shop on the site the more it pays off.

I asked Brian to take me to Game Stop before we had my last Zumba World Party party because I wanted to beef up my collection of dancing games. We found some games at Game Stop but we didn’t remember what I already had correctly so we ended up getting a duplicate of Just Dance 2016. Brian had to take the game back the next day since I already had it. It worked out great for him though because he ended up getting one of the games he wanted.

In the meantime, we didn’t want something like this to happen again so we decided to take a picture of all my dancing games. Next time we go to the store to pick up a new game for me, we can consult my collection first and then we won’t end up mistakenly buying the same games over again.

Brian and I recently discovered Stitch Fix and are now completely addicted. I first discovered it through one of my colleagues in Kansas City. She is petite like me and she was wearing this super cute long cardigan one day. I asked her where she got it and that’s when she told me about Stitch Fix.

She’s been on Stitch Fix for over a year now and she has been very pleased with the service. She said the stylists actually learn what you like and don’t like based on the feedback you provide after each delivery. They know her so well now that she usually likes almost everything they send her.

My main challenge has been that I don’t really have much time for shopping and find it time consuming to find things that fit me. When I do shop and buy things that I like, I usually have to get them tailored because they’re almost always too long. I was very impressed with the fact that they send her items according to her measurements so I was eager to give it a try. I wanted to see how well they could do with me after completing my styling survey and providing my measurements.

Here’s what they sent me in my first shipment.

I received two pants, two tops and a pair of earrings. I didn’t really need a new pair of earrings but the Maryln Schiff earrings they sent me are super cute and go with literally everything. I have been wearing them nonstop ever since I got them.

I was super impressed with the two pants they sent. Not only were the pants of great quality but they fit me amazingly well. I didn’t even need to get them hemmed. They were the perfect length.

The black skinny pants are by Liverpool and the maroonish skinny jeans are by Just Black. They both fit and feel amazing on but I have to say that the Liverpool pants are my favorite. They are, by far, the best, most comfortable pants I’ve ever owned.

I also loved the Collective Concepts blouse from this shipment. They go really well with the black Liverpool skinny pants. I have worn them several times since I got them. The only item in my box that I wasn’t too crazy about was the cold-shoulder blouse. It’s just too trendy for me and really isn’t my style. It also felt a little baggy. I just didn’t think it looked great on. I was thrilled with everything else though.

I loved my Stitch Fix experience so much that I talked Brian into joining. Here are a few pictures from his unboxing of his first ever Stitch Fix delivery.

The presentation is super nice. It really gets you excited to unbox what’s inside.

Here’s what Brian got in his second box.

If you don’t like to go to the mall or are otherwise too busy to shop, this service is absolutely perfect. Shipping and returns are free and they make it super simple with a postage paid bag that you can use to return any items you don’t want to keep. The catch is that there’s a $20 styling fee. They keep the fee if you don’t buy anything but you can use the $20 towards any items you purchase.

I personally think it’s a good deal.

I do have a special offer for you guys where you can try Stitch Fix at no risk. If you use this link then they will waive the $20 styling fee for your first box so you lose absolutely nothing even if you decide not to keep any items at all.

It is really neat and so we hope you guys decide to give Stitch Fix a try. It will completely revolutionize the way you shop for clothes.

I slowed down my Zumba wear shopping because I had way too much gear already. Anyway, earlier this year they sent me a note about qualifying for two-star status, which was nice but didn’t really offer any real perks (not to me, anyhow).

However, I met a three-star Zumba Wear Insider at #ZINCON this year who told me that the three-star Insiders got to shop the Zumba Wear store at #ZINCON before it opened. Now, that’s a real perk considering that Brian and I spent at least a couple of hours of our time in line for the Zumba Wear store on Wednesday waiting for it to open. If I had been a three-star at that time, I would have been shopping instead of standing in line.

Although, I didn’t find this out after I had already spent over about $800 on purchases at the store that didn’t count toward my Zumba Wear Insider status. Blech! You live and learn.

After this realization, Brian and I agreed that I would not be shopping at #ZINCON going forward — since it doesn’t count toward my status. If I need to buy anything, I would buy it from the web site so that every penny counts. We made a pact that the only reason that we would shop at the Zumba Wear store at #ZINCON is if I made three-star between now and then and got first dibs on everything.

Of course, the universe being the enabler that it is, ended up bestowing upon me three-star status further fueling my Zumba Wear and shopping addictions.

How do you find out when you reach three-star status? Well, they send you a gift. It comes in a box similar to the one pictured above.

Inside is a card/letter informing you of your new status and explaining the program. I don’t remember if the two-star letter came with a present. If it didn’t it wasn’t anything memorable. The three-star letter comes with an exclusive three-star Zumba Wear Insider t-shirt, which is pretty cool.

Here’s what the front of it looks like. The back has your three-star status.

Also on the same day, in a separate mailing, I received an early birthday card from Zumba. I love getting birthday cards in the mail because no one ever writes letters or sends cards to people anymore.

It’s kind of a treat when you get something besides junk mail in your mailbox. Anyway, this one is extra special because it contained the added bonus of a $30 OFF coupon for Zumba wear.

Now, that’s a REAL perk!

It was a wonderful surprise because I didn’t know that Zumba Wear Insiders got birthday cards with discounts. I’ve found out since that you do and the amount depends on your status/level. I’m so glad that I made three-star in time for my birthday! Thank you to Zumba for feeding my Zumba gear addiction!

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P.S. As a bonus for you guys, I’ll let you in on a little secret. Well, it’s not that much of a secret but not everyone knows this. I am a Zumba Wear affiliate so I have a special code you can use that will save you 10% OFF every time you shop on Zumba.com. Yes, it’s good EVERY, SINGLE time! There is no limit to the number of times you use this code so wear it out!

If you click on any of the links on this post, the discount should automatically apply to your items. If you don’t see the discount, use affiliate code CHING when you check out. That should apply the discount to your shopping cart.

Who We Are

Brian and Ching met in 1999 and have been together ever since. Brian was born and raised in Wichita. He moved away to live in Memphis for a few years and then returned. It was after he returned to Wichita that he met Ching. Coming home was probably the best decision he's ever made, besides marrying Ching.

Ching is an exotic and petulant little flower imported from the Philippines. Her family moved to the Wichita area in the mid-90s. She is an avid blogger and picture-taker. She is quite prolific and has authored most of the posts on the site.

Brian and Ching are inseparable and enjoy many activities together including traveling, dancing, bowling, chess, and poker. The only activities they don't share are video games (mostly Brian's thing) and Zumba (that's all Ching). They live in Wichita with their two adorable dogs, Molly and Saki.

This blog started in 2002 to document their life after marriage and has since evolved into a chronicle of their day to day adventures.